Mmm,
Interesting process.
By the time you get the load developed, it will be time for a new barrel......
Also the other gotcha is, one or more of your components becomes unavailable or superceeded.
Back to square 1.
Just saying

Vince... One thing i.ll point out that I do is start with a few fouling shots too start with on my loads

Thanks guys...
Elvis...yeah I’m aware of the wandering zero claims, but I’m loathe to bed the action because of the value of the rifle, so I’ll” put up with any “wandering”. You are right about the rubber “Recoil pad”...it’s a bit ordinary so I use a slip on one.

Pete...the barrel is pretty much brand new, so it has plenty of life left in it. If these Hornady RN SP don’t work, I’ll look at the Sierra offering. Whichever way, once I find a bullet the rifle likes I’ll buy plenty...finances allowing.

pete4d...I always put a couple of foulers down range before testing mate...makes sense, and it’s more recoil therapy.

if you can find any (and I know they are less common than rocking horse poohs) Taipan make fantastic projectile that are VERY soft,so grip rifling well and expand like nothing else on impact.

Elvis wrote:

if you can find any (and I know they are less common than rocking horse poohs) Taipan make fantastic projectile that are VERY soft,so grip rifling well and expand like nothing else on impact.

Taipan are becoming more available these days...I think they were bought out by a guy who is producing more.

I’ve used Taipan bullets in the past and they are a pretty good offering for the price. What I’m actually thinking of doing is buying a .303 mould and do some casting...that way I can control the hardness.

hmmmm well thats the best news Ive heard in years....they were awesome projectiles,,,there is a 204grn cast mould with a big hollow point,ideal in SMLE and its kin...

C’mon with the reduction I. COVID restrictions already. I’m beyond stir crazy now, and I keep looking at the ammo box of loaded rounds awaiting testing...SIGH...I want to go to the range.

now Vince me old mate....I know its very tempting but at 06:00 tomorrow morning letting strip in a single gun salute to mark the sunrise IS NOT a good idea......

Bushy,
Send Vince a video of you shooting at your private range just to rub it in, er, remind him theres light at the end of the tunnel.

BASTARDS...but loveable ones.

Elvis, you don’t think a one gun salute on ANZAC Day would be appropriate mate? BUGGER, that puts paid to that idea. Oh well...shouldn’t more than a couple of months now before things come back to normal, whatever the new normal is likely to be.

Vince wrote:

C’mon with the reduction I. COVID restrictions already. I’m beyond stir crazy now, and I keep looking at the ammo box of loaded rounds awaiting testing...SIGH...I want to go to the range.

,,,, not too loud or the snowflake and karens will turn you in

Well, they have finally opened the range, but only for members and only for a 2 hour session and you must book in prior to going to the range.

I loaded up some .303 rounds for an OCW test using PPU brass, Remington LR primers, and .312 174 gr InterLock® RN.

I put together loads starting at 35gr up to 37.5gr in incremental steps of 1%. I watched for signs of pressure, and surprisingly I noted that the lighter loads didn’t group at all, whereas the heavier loads started pulling in to groups. It seems I have found a node where I can now do some more development to identify and fine tune a load. As can be seen in the attached pics, things started to come together at 36.8gr with 37.2gr and 37.5gr showing some promise. Unfortunately I didn’t get any bullet speeds...I had left my chrono turned on and it flattened the battery, which of course I found when I got to the range.

This gun will never be a tack driver, but it is exceeding the factory accuracy standards already before I fine tune a load.

A part of the problem is me. I was using the larger peep sight instead of the smaller one, and my eyes are getting older, with the resulting drop in vision quality. I’m actually thinking about fitting a scope. I’m looking at the Accumounts “no gunsmith” mount made in Detroit Michigan.

Enfield 303 Mount

I’ve never heard of this brand before, but if the blurb on the website stands true then it should be OK.

I also grabbed the opportunity to confirm zero on my Krico .22 rimfire rifle. The accompanying pic shows at 100m a rabbit will be in all sorts of hurt...so long as I do my bit. Ignore the group in the outer red ring...they were a different brand of bullet. The centre ring is 1”, so this group is close to MOA...not bad for a .22 at 100m.

Lucky bugger. I'm sitting here with two new, unfired rifles & umpteen loads but the range is still closed...

English Mike wrote:

Lucky bugger. I'm sitting here with two new, unfired rifles & umpteen loads but the range is still closed...

Sorry to hear that mate. Would you like me to put a few rounds down range for you? Sorry mate, that’s not nice, I know how I felt.

I spoke to a mate in Long Island NY last night. He has a mate who is a collector of military rifles and has a number of SMLEs and has fitted “no gunsmith” scope mounts to them. He sent me a couple of pics of a #5 Jungle Carbine the same as mine, fitted with a B-Square mount that uses existing screw points to mount the rail. He’s having a look around over there amongst his mates to see if anybody has a spare one I can buy.

using existing screw holes is the way to go....way less to stuff up and remains origonal underneath....you got some recoil therapy in Mate....speaking if which,how was the later loads in that reguard????? still reckon you be much better off to take off the crappy recoil pad they came with and put a slip on one in place...much softer.